“I dare the Congress to expel me”

i have not betrayed sonia, it’s the other way around

---

What internal details does Natwar Singh know about the Gandhi family that he is so brazenly defying them? Did he really take money in the Iraq oil-for-food scam? How did one of the longest-surviving friendships in Indian politics end so suddenly and bitterly? In an interview with TSI, Singh spouts his arguments vociferously:

Q:Much has been written about the Iraqi oil-for-food scam. What exactly happened? Did any money go to the Congress or any of its leaders?

I cannot comment on that. I can only speak for myself. I was in Moscow when the Volcker report was released in New York. Every UN member has thrown this hugely flawed report into the dustbin. Except India. Here, a Foreign Minister had to resign. Volcker himself was on record saying that he had altered the wording of the report, as otherwise Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, would have lost his job. He also confirmed that he did not know who Natwar was, and that he had not written to me like he had to others. Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said this in Parliament that the “facts” in the report were not verified. When I came down to India, I found my residence surrounded by the media, which had a field day for two to three months. Have the Justice Pathak Committee and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) found anything against me till date?

Q:What was your reaction?

On my return from Moscow, I stopped in Frankfurt. There, our Ambassador to the UN telephoned to say that the final Volcker report had mentioned the Congress and me as non-contractual beneficiaries. I did not take it seriously since I was in no way connected to the UN. I had thought that on my return I would tell the Prime Minister and the Congress President that the Volcker report should be treated as we had treated the Mitrokhin Archive II, where several Indian leaders, including those belonging to the Congress, were accused of receiving money from the KGB. I had earlier told Sonia Gandhi that the Mitrokhin report should be treated with contempt. This was done.

Q:Why were you being targeted?

When I reached Delhi, I was appalled to see that it was Congress bachao, Natwar hatao. I thought this was outrageous. How could anyone believe such nonsense? Politics is a blood sport. The theory sold was that no one outside Sonia Gandhi’s family was closer to her than Natwar Singh. The conclusion was that he must have given the money to her. Sonia Gandhi panicked and I was made the fall guy. I have had a career without blemish. Q:Did you lose your nerve?

I may sometimes lose my temper but never my nerve. I stood my ground. I should have been given the benefit of doubt. To this day, the Enforcement Directorate has found nothing against me. But confidential meetings in the ED and the Pathak Commission were regularly leaked, always to my disadvantage. The most ridiculous thing is that the ED sent me a show cause notice after Pathak had absolved me of any financial gain. The ED officials claimed that they were helpless. They had orders from above.

Q:So was Sonia Gandhi targeting you?

I am being targeted.

Q:You never explained why Sonia should target you? Do you know something that can hurt her or her family members?

I do know a great deal. Also, the expectation was that I would go down on my knees like others did. That’s why the party is in a shambles.

Q:In a television interview, Sonia Gandhi said that you had betrayed her.

No, I have not betrayed Sonia Gandhi. It is the other way round. I say this with sorrow, not with anger. We (Sonia and I) have been close friends for many years. When Priyanka got married, Sonia Gandhi invited only her closest friends Natwar Singh and Sheila Dikshit. Not Manmohan Singh, not Pranab Mukherjee, not Ahmed Patel. Amitabh Bachchan was also present, not his wife. Their (Gandhis and Bachchans) falling out had begun.

Q:You say that you could be jailed...

Believe it or not, anything is possible. Any intelligence agency can leave a briefcase full of foreign currency in my house and later ‘discover’ it. They could easily slip a top-secret document into my office and arrest me. But arrest would do me no harm. Now that the truth is known, of my being cleared by Pathak, an arrest would only make me a hero in my community. What I fear most is that some harm may come to my grandchildren.

Q:Did you at anytime speak to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?

I met the Prime Minister several times. I know Manmohan for the last 40 years. He kept saying, “I cannot do anything. See Soniaji.” Q:What else can be done to you?

Anything. This room is bugged. You will be in history (laughs).

Q:Are your phones tapped?!

Yes they are. I told Manmohan, speaking over the phone, “Be very careful, your people have tapped my phone (laughs again).” I would have buckled under this pressure if I had done something wrong. I haven’t. I am fearless and have strong nerves.

Q:The Congress says your uncontrolled aggression confirms guilt.

Uncontrolled?! Do you think so? I have exercised extreme restraint. Have I ever been abusive? In Parliament, I had said that all these months have been most unpleasant and disagreeable, and a great strain on me and my family. Throughout this period, we have acted with candour, courage, dignity and restraint. The channel to my soul is immune to the chatter of those whose links with decency, ethics and morality are non-existent. Does this sound abusive? However, when dishonourable people question my honour & imaan, I react very firmly. I value my good name above everything.

Q:You say you had been close to Sonia Gandhi. What did you do for her?

As soon as she became Congress President, I ensured that visiting Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers call on her. That practice continues. She has an international constituency. Q:What about your political future. From here, where?

That’s in Natwar’s hand. I am not retiring. I will be in the Rajya Sabha for another 17 months. Sonia is sitting on my reply to the show cause notice. I am under suspension. They (Congress) haven’t yet expelled me. I challenge them to expel me.

Q:There are reports that you could be joining the Samajwadi Party.

Is that a crime? All options are open.

Q:Which outfit will you choose to attack the Congress. The Samajwadi Party?

Wait and see.

Q:Is BJP communal and untouchable?

I am a Nehruvite. I am secular. I believe in secularism.

Q:What about our foreign policy, especially with US?

I was in New York when Manmohan signed the nuke deal. Nobody could find fault with it. But now, the US is constantly shifting goal posts. The dialogue with Pakistan is virtually halted; neither the PM, nor Sonia, has said a word about Iraq. The US & India should be equal partners and have close relations. India should not play the role of a junior partner or a client state.